The 2012 BBS Report
The Breeding Bird Survey 2012
The population trends of the UK’s breeding birds
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The 2012 BBS Report
The 2012 BBS Report
THE 2012 BBS REPORT
This is the eighteenth annual report of the BTO/
JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS),
containing the population trends of widespread UK
bird species during the period 1994–2012.
The BBS is the main scheme for monitoring
the population changes of the UK’s common
breeding birds, providing an important indicator
of the health of the countryside. BBS trends are
produced each year for over 100 species, and the
results are widely used to set priorities and inform
conservation action.
British Trust for Ornithology
The Nunnery
www.bto.org
Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Monkstone House
City Road
Peterborough
PE1 1JY
www.jncc.defra.gov.uk
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The Lodge
Sandy
Bedfordshire
SG19 2DL
INSIDE...
THE BBS PARTNERSHIP
The Breeding Bird Survey is run by the British Trust for Ornithology
(BTO) and is jointly funded by the BTO, the Joint Nature
Conservation Committee (JNCC) (on behalf of the statutory nature
conservation agencies: Council for Nature Conservation and the
Countryside, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and Scottish
Natural Heritage), and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
(RSPB).
www.rspb.org.uk
THE BBS TEAM AT THE BTO
Dario Massimino, Research Ecologist in the Population Ecology and
Modelling Team, worked on the bird population trends in 2012, and
Stuart Newson produced the mammal population trends. David Noble
is the Principal Ecologist for Monitoring at the BTO, responsible for
strategic developments in biodiversity monitoring. Andy Musgrove
is the Head of the Monitoring Team, which runs the BBS and
other surveys. Stephen Baillie is the Director of the Modelling and
Demography Group at the BTO, and has overseen the BBS since its
inception in 1994.
Contact the BBS National Organiser:
Kate Risely, British Trust for Ornithology
Email: bbs@bto.org, Tel: 01842 750050
Many people have contributed to the scheme’s
development and organisation, including Nicholas
Aebischer, Mandy Andrews, Mark Avery, Ian
Bainbridge, Helen Baker, Richard Bashford, Jessa
Battersby, George Boobyer, Andy Brown, Steve
Buckland, Nick Carter, the late Steve Carter, Dan
Chamberlain, Rachel Coombes, Humphrey Crick,
Sarah Davis, Sarah Eglington, Steve Freeman,
Colin Galbraith, David Gibbons, John GossCustard, Rhys Green, Jeremy Greenwood, Richard
Gregory, Rob Keen, Ian McLean, Mike Meharg,
pg16
pg12
BBS news and research.................4
New recording methods for 2014, how
BBS trends contributed to the State of
Nature report, and results from the 2012
butterfly surveys.
Coverage and BBS-Online............8
2012 was a great year for BBS coverage,
with the second-highest number of
squares covered.
Species recorded......................... 10
What did BBS volunteers see in 2012?
Background and methods..........11
Detailed information about how the
survey works, and a list of papers
published in the last year using BBS
data.
pg22
UK TRENDS............................. 12
Finch fluctuations; the 2012 BBS results
reveal that Siskins and Lesser Redpolls
are on the up, but Greenfinch numbers
are falling, while many migrants declined
between 2011 and 2012.
England trends............................14
Grey Wagtail numbers declined
significantly in England between 2011
and 2012, but not in the UK as a whole.
Scotland trends.......................... 16
2012 was a bad year for Swifts,
Whitethroats and Linnets in Scotland, but
Wrens and Goldcrests recovered from
cold winters.
Trends in Wales and Northern
Ireland, and coverage in the Isle of
Man and Channel Islands.......... 18
Long-tailed Tits reached their highest
levels in Wales in 2012, but Green
Woodpecker numbers are giving cause
for concern. The sample size for Collared
Dove in Northern Ireland is now high
enough to calculate a trend.
Trends in English regions.......... 20
Regional trends for different areas of
England reveal varying fortunes for many
species.
Mammal monitoring................. 22
BBS volunteers recorded 45 species
of mammal in 2012, and trends were
calculated for nine common mammals.
Special thanks.............back cover
BBS website: www.bto.org/bbs
CITATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are grateful to the following people for their
help in 2012: Iain Downie, Mark Hammond,
Andrew Joys, Maria Knight, John Marchant,
Richard Minter, James Pearce-Higgins, Warren
Read and Karen Wright.
pg4
The members of the BBS Steering Committee in 2012 were Stephen
Baillie (Chair, BTO), Deborah Procter (JNCC), Mark Eaton (RSPB),
Andy Musgrove (BTO) and James Pearce-Higgins (BTO).
Kate Risely is the BBS National Organiser, responsible for the dayto-day running of the BBS, liaising with BTO Regional Organisers
and volunteers, maintaining the database, promoting the scheme, and
producing the annual report.
Thetford
Norfolk
IP24 2PU
Ian Mitchell, David Morris, Dorian Moss, Nancy
Ockendon, Will Peach, Ken Perry, Mike Raven,
Brenda Read, Angela Rickard, Ken Smith, David
Stroud, Pierre Tellier, Chris Thaxter, Richard
Thewlis, Derek Thomas, Mike Toms, Lawrence
Way, Richard Weyl and Lucy Wright.
We acknowledge the support of the Northern
Ireland Environment Agency who funded
professional fieldworkers to cover 52 squares
in Northern Ireland, and the help of Shane
Wolsey, the BTO Ireland Officer, who organised
the fieldwork in 2012. Natural England, Scottish
Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission
Scotland have contributed to additional surveys
on Upland BBS and Scottish Woodland BBS
squares.
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We are very grateful to the RSPB for funding
the initial development of BBS-Online, and to
the BTO Information Systems Team who have
continued to develop the system and provide
technical support.
The cover photo of a Siskin
is by Alex Berryman and the
BBS logo is by Andy Wilson.
Report production and design
were by Kate Risely. We are
grateful to John Marchant for
proofreading the report. The
report was printed by Reflex,
Thetford, using paper from
responsible sources.
Risely, K., Massimino, D., Newson, S.E., Eaton, M.A., Musgrove,
A.J., Noble, D.G., Procter, D. & Baillie, S.R. 2013. The Breeding
Bird Survey 2012. BTO Research Report 645. British Trust for
Ornithology, Thetford.
Published by the British Trust for Ornithology, the Joint Nature
Conservation Committee and the Royal Society for the Protection of
Birds, July 2013.
© British Trust for Ornithology, Joint Nature Conservation Committee
and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, 2013.
BTO Research Report 645
ISSN 1368-9932
ISBN 978-1-908581-29-7
Online Resources
Further information, including
population trend graphs, can be
found at www.bto.org/bbs, and a
full species-by-species discussion
of these results, and those from other surveys, can
be found on the BirdTrends website at www.bto.org/
birdtrends.
This report can be downloaded from
www.bto.org/bbs/results/bbsreport.htm.
SURVEYORS BY DAVID TIPLING, LESSER REDPOLL BY BEN ANDREW, WREN BY AMY LEWIS, STOAT BY JOHN HARDING
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The 2012 BBS Report
The 2012 BBS Report
bbs news and research
5
bbs news and research
Coming soon!
New BBS recording methods
The latest House Sparrow
breeding population
estimate was derived using
BBS distance-band counts
Starting in 2014, BBS volunteers will have the option to record
whether birds were first detected by sight, call or song;
this will allow bird densities to be calculated more accurately
By Kate Risely BBS National Organiser, BTO
HINTS AND TIPS
• It is important to record how a bird was first detected;
if a bird is detected by sight, but later starts singing, it
should not be recorded as detected by song. The aim
isn’t to record evidence of breeding.
• The recording of detection type is optional, but should
be applied to all records from a visit, or to none. Before
submitting data online, volunteers will be able to optin to the new system, and can change back to simple
recording later if necessary, but it will not be possible
to switch between the two methods within a visit.
• New detection codes can only be submitted online, as
it is not possible to make space for the new codes on
Count Summary Sheets. Volunteers who submit data
on paper, but who would like to use the new methods,
should contact the BBS Organiser at BTO.
• Guidance will be provided on how sounds such as
wing flapping of Woodpigeons and drumming of
woodpeckers should be recorded, and on whether
vocalisations of birds such as Pheasant should be
recorded as songs or calls.
• It is important that the new methods do not affect
consistency with data from previous years. In
particular, volunteers should try not to spend longer
than normal on their surveys.
• It is not necessary to record whether birds seen are
male or female. In a field trial of these methods in
2011 volunteers were asked to record the sex of birds
seen. This has not been included in the full survey,
however, since feedback from the trial suggested that
this could affect the time taken to complete surveys, as
observers were stopping to get better views of birds not
easily sexed on first view, such as Great Tits.
• Detectability information can only be analysed if
habitat codes (at least Levels 1 and 2) are available for
the relevant transect section.
BBS volunteers record birds in distance bands, meaning
that counts can be used to calculate the detectability of
different species. This in turn can be used to work out how
many individuals were present, including those not directly
observed. However, this method does not take into account
the fact that males are much more detectable than females
for some species, but not for others, which could bias the
resulting density and population estimates (see opposite
page).
CHANGES TO FIELD RECORDING
From 2014, BBS volunteers will have the option of
recording whether each bird, or group of birds, was first
detected by sight, call or song, in addition to recording
birds in distance bands as normal. Volunteers are
encouraged to use the territory-mapping-style notation of
circling a record of a bird detected by song, drawing a line
under a bird detected by call, and leaving unmarked any
record of a bird, or group of birds, first detected by sight.
There will be no change to the field recording forms.
bbs surveyor by david tipling
CHANGES TO ONLINE DATA SUBMISSION
The overall structure of the online data-entry system for
bird records will not change significantly, but users should
enter each bird, or group of birds, as a separate entry, in
order to record detection type. It will not be necessary
to summarise any counts; each record from the field
recording sheet should be input in turn. We hope to take
this opportunity to make other changes and improvements
to the online system, such as incorporating habitat and
mammal recording within the bird data-entry pages.
Any data submitted with detection codes will make
it possible to extract additional information from
BBS counts, and we are grateful to all volunteers who
wish to try the new methods. However, we would like
to emphasise that all BBS counts will still be used as
normal to produce BBS trends and for other research,
and the standard counts remain as valuable as ever.
ESTIMATING BIRD NUMBERS USING DISTANCE-BAND COUNTS
New estimates of the breeding and
wintering populations of all of the
UK’s bird species were published
early in 2013. Estimates ranged
from single figures of rare breeders
such as Savi’s Warbler to over eight
million pairs of Wrens! The work
of assessing and updating the
population trends was carried out
by the Avian Population Estimates
Panel, consisting of representatives
from BTO, RSPB, JNCC, WWT and
GWCT.
As would be expected, there are
many different ways of estimating
bird numbers; the appropriate
method for each species will
depend on whether it is rare or
common, as well as its behaviour
and ecology. Birds with very
small populations, such as Crane,
Spoonbill and Golden Oriole,
can often be directly counted,
but obviously this approach is
not possible for more numerous
species.
For many common species the
panel took estimates published
in the 1988–91 Breeding Atlas,
and updated these to the present
using BBS trends. However, for
many species an alternative and
independent set of estimates was
available, generated using BBS
distance-band data. This method is
based on the fact that observations
are assigned to distance bands,
allowing statistical analysis to infer
the proportion of birds not detected
by observers, and thus how many
birds were present in the area
surveyed. This estimate can then be
scaled up to give a total figure for
the UK.
of the species, as it was felt that this
approach was likely to produce less
accurate results for species where
there was a large and uncertain
difference in detectability between
sexes.
While this approach is statistically
sound, it is likely to work better for
some species than for others.
In some cases the estimates were
very similar; for example, the
number of Blackbirds estimated
from scaling the 1988–91 Breeding
Atlas figure was 5.4 million pairs,
while the number calculated
using the entirely independent
BBS distance-band analysis was
5 million pairs. In other cases, the
detectability estimates could clearly
be improved by recording whether
birds were recorded by song or sight
on BBS visits (see opposite page).
In particular, the males of many
species are more detectable
than females, thereby biasing the
estimate. For example, an estimate
of Grasshopper Warbler numbers
using this method is effectively an
estimate of the number of pairs,
since normally only singing males
are detected, whereas an estimate
of Collared Dove numbers is more
likely to represent individual birds.
The panel considered the estimates
produced by distance sampling
alongside those produced by other
methods on a case-by-case basis,
considering the ecology and habitat
In the final report, estimates derived
from BBS distance bands were
presented for 23 species, from
common birds such as Starling and
House Sparrow to scarcer species
such as Whinchat and Common
Crossbill.
FIND OUT MORE...
Musgrove, A.J., Aebischer, N.J.,
Eaton, M.A., Hearn, R.D., Newson,
S.E., Noble, D.G., Parsons, M., Risely,
K. & Stroud, D.A. 2013. Population
estimates of birds in Great Britain
and the United Kingdom. British
Birds 106: 64–100 (available to
download from the BBS website
from mid August 2013).
HOUSE SPARROW BY JOHN HARDING
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The 2012 BBS Report
The 2012 BBS Report
7
bbs news and research
BBS and the
State of Nature
Wider Countryside
Butterfly Survey 2012
By Mark Eaton Principal Conservation Scientist in Species Monitoring and Research, RSPB
Another important example is the role BBS data played in
the broad assessment of the UK’s biodiversity published in
the first State of Nature report this spring. This groundbreaking report, produced by a partnership of 25 nongovernmental organisations involved in the monitoring,
research and conservation of the UK’s wildlife (including
the BTO and RSPB), sought to review available
information on the ups and downs in our wildlife. As
well as calling on existing measures such as indicators for
birds, bats and butterflies, State of Nature presented new
metrics of the health of our wildlife. Quantitative trends
in either abundance or range, stretching back to the
1960s, were collated for over 3,000 species ranging from
bees to bats and mammals to mosses. Of the 198 birds
included, trends for 93 relied upon BBS data. Although
the news for birds was mixed, with more increasing than
declining (due in part to largely positive long-term trends
for wintering waterbirds), the balance over all our wildlife
was not good news: 60% of all the species assessed had
declined, 31% strongly.
Another new
measure presented
by State of
Nature was
the Watchlist
Indicator, derived
from trends
in abundance
in species
identified as
priorities by the
(now superseded) UK Biodiversity Action
Plan (BAP). Trends are unavailable for most of these
priority species due to the absence of standardised
monitoring for many taxonomic groups, so bird data
provided a substantial element. Of the 51 bird trends
included, 26 used BBS data. This indicator shows that,
despite notable successes (such as for Bitterns and Large
Blue butterflies), on average priority species continued
to decline after the launch of the BAP in the mid 1990s,
but may have stabilised in recent years.
Corn Bunting; one of the
original UK Biodiversity
Action Plan species
included in the new
Watchlist Indicator
A key message of the State of Nature report concerned
gaps in our knowledge; of around 60,000 species found
in the UK, we currently have quantitative trends for
around 5%. The high interest in birdwatching and the
long heritage of ornithological study, culminating in
schemes such as the BBS, mean that our knowledge
of bird trends is good. The challenge lies in using our
experience, skills and capacity to help improve the
monitoring of other, less well-studied but equally
important elements of the UK’s wonderful wildlife.
FIND OUT MORE...
CORN BUNTING BY AMY LEWIS
Through its standardised field protocol, robust scientific
design, geographical spread and impressive sample size,
the BBS provides probably the most robust measures
of change in abundance for any group of species in the
UK. As a consequence, the BBS plays a vital role in
assessing the state of biodiversity, and hence the wider
environment, at both the UK and devolved country
level. When combined with data from its predecessor,
the Common Birds Census, the BBS enables us to trace
trends back to the late 1960s. For example, trends in
farmland birds – as combined in the farmland bird
indicator, a key component of the UK Government’s
Biodiversity Indicator suite – tell us about the impact of
changing farming practices upon wildlife over the last
four decades.
More on the State of Nature report,
including the report itself, can be
found online at
www.rspb.org.uk/stateofnature
Despite 2012 being the
wettest summer for 100
years, volunteers made a
fantastic effort and 771
squares were surveyed,
more than in any other
year. This total consisted of
334 BBS squares and 437
Butterfly Conservation
squares.
enabling a provisional
assessment of changes in
abundance at a UK scale.
In total, 46 butterfly
species were recorded, and
22 species were recorded
in 30 or more squares,
The full results can be
read in the 2012 WCBS
newsletter, available on the
BBS website.
2012 was a very good year
for Meadow Brown and
Ringlet, both grass-feeding
browns, whereas Small
Tortoiseshell numbers
were particularly low.
Opting out of paper
BBS reports
The BBS partner
organisations strive to
reduce the use of paper
where possible. While we
will continue to produce
paper BBS reports for the
foreseeable future, we are
looking at ways to reduce
the number of copies
printed.
If you are a BBS volunteer,
and you would prefer to
receive your copy of the
BBS report electronically,
please contact bbs@bto.
org to let us know. We
will continue to send
paper reports to volunteers
unless instructed
otherwise.
Maps of BBS trends
now available online
New maps showing
density estimates and
population change since
the start of the BBS are
now available on the BBS
website (www.bto.org/
bbs).
From Blackbird to
Yellowhammer, these
maps offer a new way of
visualising changes in bird
populations.
UK Cuckoo trends
MEADOW BROWN BY DAWN BALMER
BBS trends were key to assessing bird population
changes for the recent State of Nature report
The 2012 BBS Report
3,430
BBS squ
SURVEY COVERAGE
Scotland
Coverage in Scotland continues to grow, with 380 squares surveyed in
2012, second only to the peak year of 2007, which was before the start of
fieldwork for the 2007–11 Bird Atlas. The current ‘What’s Up?’ project,
run by BTO Scotland, aims to improve volunteer coverage of BBS
squares in the Scottish uplands through training and mentoring.
surveye ares
d in
2012 sees second-highest
BBS coverage
Following the end of fieldwork for the 2007–11 Bird
Atlas, the number of BBS squares covered rose by around
200 to 3,430, the second-highest total after 2007. As ever,
we are very grateful to all volunteers for their continued
commitment to the survey. The 2012 total includes 82
‘Adjacent Upland’ squares, up from 76 in 2011, and 12
‘Scottish Woodland’ squares. These schemes are designed to
improve sampling in under-represented habitats.
The 2012 BBS Report
2012
Number of BBS squares surveyed
4,000
Wales
283
308
313
309
275
246
3,000
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2,000
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1,000
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Northern Ireland
In 2012, 116 BBS squares
were surveyed in Northern
Ireland. Of these, 52
squares were surveyed by
professional fieldworkers
funded by the Northern
Ireland Environment
Agency.
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19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
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Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
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533 1,652 1,738 1,885 2,179 2,569 2,822 2,555 2,569 2,550 2,527 2,640
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78
231
255
274
305
336
416
333
331
331
358
380
223
213
22
215
214
254
271
271
269
242
233
245
222
270
25
17
65
75
85
95
83
0
97
109
102
120
107
129
121
116
115
110
116
Channel Islands
1
1
7
6
7
7
7
7
7
7
11
13
19
16
15
17
16
15
20
Isle of Man
4
4
4
6
6
5
3
0
3
4
6
3
5
4
1
0
0
0
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We continue to try to reduce the
amount of paper we use wherever
possible. While paper forms will
remain available, we encourage all
BBS volunteers to switch to online data
submission if possible.
Online transect route map
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England
The majority of all BBS squares surveyed
were in England. In total, 2,640 squares
were surveyed, with the highest densities
around London, Bristol and Manchester.
More coverage would be welcome in parts
of the east of England and south-west
England.
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640 2,205 2,327 2,532 2,891 3,307 3,656 3,267 3,266 3,257 3,232 3,430
Collection of online transect route
maps has been very successful,
and most squares now have routes
mapped online. Routes can be viewed
in BBS-Online with either a satellite or
Ordnance Survey background, and can
be printed out to take into the field,
along with any accompanying notes.
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PLANNED CHANGES TO BBS-ONLINE
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192
Plans are in place to modify the
online system to allow volunteers to
record how birds were detected (see
page 4). This presents an opportunity
to improve other aspects of the
system, and we aim to simplify and
streamline the data collection of habitat
and mammal records, possibly by
incorporating these systems within the
current transect data-entry pages.
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The number of BBS submissions made
online continues to grow, and results
from 90% of squares were submitted
online in 2012.
Map includes Adjacent
Upland squares covered
by volunteers
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1,570 1,751 1,920 2,195 2,312 2,397 2,301
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UK Total
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N Ireland
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1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Scotland
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Table 1 Number of BBS squares surveyed
1,173 1,325 1,420 1,657 1,713 1,792 1,749
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WHERE
WERE BBS
SQUARES
SURVEYED
IN 2012?
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England
England
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As in previous years, 52 core squares in Northern Ireland
were surveyed by professional fieldworkers, meaning
that 3,378 squares were surveyed by volunteers, a figure
achieved by 2,592 individual volunteers. Sample sizes for
upland birds in England were boosted in 2012 by 302
‘add-on’ Upland Breeding Bird Survey sites surveyed by
professional fieldworkers, funded by Natural England.
These squares are not included in the figures shown here.
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The total number of squares covered by volunteers in
2012 includes 12 Scottish Woodland squares and 24
Adjacent Upland squares. No BBS squares in
Scotland were covered by professional
fieldworkers in 2012.
© Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
8
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The total number of squares covered
by volunteers in 2012 includes 45
Adjacent Upland squares. In
addition, 302 Upland Breeding
Bird Survey squares were
surveyed by professional
fieldworkers (not shown).
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Wales
Coverage in Wales was close to record
levels in 2012, with 270 squares covered.
This increase can be attributed to a training
and mentoring scheme for volunteers funded
by the Countryside Council for Wales (now
Natural Resources Wales). Mentors accompanied
new volunteers to squares, but there were no
other squares surveyed by professionals.
Volunteers surveyed 13 Adjacent
Upland squares in Wales in 2012.
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Channel Islands
Twenty squares, a record, were surveyed by volunteers on
the Channel Islands in 2012 (not shown on map).
9
10 The 2012 BBS Report
The 2012 BBS Report 11
BBS background and methods
SPECIES RECORDED
The BBS was launched, in 1994, to provide more representative habitat and geographical
coverage than the main survey running at the time, the Common Birds Census (CBC).
The CBC ended in 2000, and the overlap period between 1994 and 2000 allowed
the BTO to develop methods for calculating long-term trends (from the 1960s to the
present) using information from both schemes.
What did volunteers record
during their 2012 surveys?
In previous years the BBS report has
included a full list of species recorded.
From now on, to save space, this
information will not be shown in the
report, but will be available on the
BBS web pages. The complete lists,
available online, show the number of
individuals recorded, and the number
of squares on which a species was
recorded, across all years. This can give
an indication of population status for
those species below the threshold for
reporting population trends.
In 2012 the average number of species
recorded on a BBS square was 30, but
species richness varied from 68 on a
square in Cheshire to just two species
The BBS is a line-transect survey based on randomly located 1-km squares. Squares
are chosen through stratified random sampling, with more squares in areas with more
potential volunteers. The difference in sampling densities is taken into account when
calculating trends. BBS volunteers make two early-morning visits to their square during
the April–June survey period, recording all birds encountered while walking two 1-km
transects across their square. Each 1-km transect is divided into five 200-m sections for
ease of recording. Birds are recorded in three distance categories, or as ‘in flight’, in order
to assess detectability and work out species density. Observers also record the habitat
along the transects, and record any mammals seen during the survey. Surveying a BBS
square involves around six hours of fieldwork per year, and the aim is for each volunteer
to survey the same square (or squares) every year.
each on six squares in the Scottish
Highlands. Of course, the value of
the results does not depend on the
number of species recorded, and we
are particularly grateful to volunteers
who survey remote or urban areas, as
it’s just as important to know where
there are few birds as where there are
many.
least common...
Kilometres walked.............................. 14,000
Species recorded..........................................219
Individual birds counted...........1,091,548
The three species most commonly
recorded in 2012 were Woodpigeon,
Chaffinch and Blackbird. Volunteers
were lucky enough to encounter Whitetailed Eagle, Great Bustard and Blackwinged Stilt, each recorded on a single
BBS square
WOODPIGEON BY AMY LEWIS, CHAFFINCH AND BLACKBIRD BY JOHN HARDING, WHITE-TAILED EAGLE BY EDMUND FELLOWES, GREAT BUSTARD BY KEVIN CARLSON, BLACK-WINGED STILT BY neil calbrade
Most common...
As BBS squares are randomly selected, they can turn up within any kind of habitat. Some
squares can never be surveyed, and these truly ‘uncoverable’ sites are removed from
the system. However, squares that are temporarily inaccessible, or which are not taken
up due to their remote location, are retained in order to maintain the integrity of the
sampling design.
Studies using BBS data
Baker, D.J., Freeman, S.N., Grice, P.V. & Siriwardena, G.M. 2012.
Landscape-scale responses of birds to agri-environment management: a test of the English Environmental Stewardship
scheme. Journal of Applied Ecology 49: 871–882.
Bateman, I.J., Harwood, A.R., Mace, G.M., Watson, R.T., Abson,
D.J., Andrews, B., Binner, A., Crowe, A., Day, B.H., Dugdale, S.,
Fezzi, C., Foden, J., Hadley, D., Haines-Young, R., Hulme, M.,
Kontoleon, A., Lovett, A.A., Munday, P., Pascual, U., Paterson,
J., Perino, G., Sen, A., Siriwardena, G., van Soest, D. & Termansen, M. 2013. Bringing ecosystem services into economic
decision-making: land use in the United Kingdom. Science
341: 45–50.
Lawson, B., Robinson, R.A., Colvile, K.M., Peck, K.M., Chantrey,
J., Pennycott, T.W., Simpson, V.R., Toms, M.P. & Cunningham,
A.A. 2012. The emergence and spread of finch trichomonosis
in the British Isles. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal
Society of London, Series B 367: 2852–2863.
Le Viol, I., Jiguet, F., Brotons, L., Herrando, S., Lindström, Å.,
Pearce-Higgins, J.W., Reif, J., van Turnhout, C. & Devictor, V.
2012. More and more generalists: two decades of changes in
the European avifauna. Biology Letters 8: 780–782.
Morrison, C.A, Robinson, R.A., Clark, J.A., Risely, K. & Gill,
J.A. 2013. Recent population declines in Afro-Palaearctic
migratory birds: the influence of breeding and non-breeding
seasons. Diversity and Distributions 19: 1051–1058.
The BBS National Organiser, based at BTO, is responsible for the overall running of
the scheme, and is the main point of contact for the network of volunteer Regional
Organisers (ROs). ROs are responsible for finding new volunteers and allocating squares
to observers in their region. At the end of the season they validate submissions made
online, and collect paper submissions and return them to BTO. We are very grateful for
the assistance of the ROs.
Musgrove, A.J., Aebischer, N.J., Eaton, M.A., Hearn, R.D.,
Newson, S.E., Noble, D.G., Parsons, M., Risely, K. & Stroud, D.A.
2013. Population estimates of birds in Great Britain and the
United Kingdom. British Birds 106: 64–100.
The BBS provides reliable population trends for a large proportion of our breeding
species. Trends can also be produced for specific countries, regions or habitats. For these
analyses, we take the higher count from the two visits for each species, summed over all
four distance categories and ten transect sections. Only squares that have been surveyed
in at least two years are included in the analyses. Population changes are estimated
using a log-linear model with Poisson error terms. Counts are modelled as a function of
year and site effects, weighted to account for differences in sampling densities across the
UK, with standard errors adjusted for overdispersion.
Studeny, A.C., Buckland, S.T., Harrison, P.J., Illian, J.B.,
Magurran, A.E. & Newson, S.E. 2013. Fine-tuning the assessment of large-scale temporal trends in biodiversity using the
example of British breeding birds. Journal of Applied Ecology
50: 190–198.
Since 2009, data from additional randomly selected 1-km squares surveyed as part of
the Scottish Woodland BBS and the Upland BBS have been included in the BBS sample.
These squares were surveyed using the same methodology as standard BBS squares,
and results were incorporated into trends accounting for additional sampling effort.
Work has been carried out to assess the reliability of BBS trends, to ensure that reported
trends are based on reliable data and sufficient sample sizes. This work has resulted in
the following exclusions and caveats:
• We do not report population trends for five species of gull (Black-headed,
Common, Lesser Black-backed, Herring and Great Black-backed), as a large
proportion of the records are of non-breeding, wintering or migratory individuals.
• Trends for rare breeding species with substantial wintering populations (e.g.
Fieldfare) are excluded.
• Trends for Cormorant, Grey Heron and Common Tern are reported with the caveat
that counts may contain a high proportion of birds away from breeding sites.
• Trends for Tawny Owl and Barn Owl are reported with the caveat that the BBS
monitors nocturnal species poorly.
• Counts for six wader species (Oystercatcher, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Snipe,
Curlew and Redshank) are corrected to exclude counts from non-breeding
flocks, and observations of Golden Plover in unsuitable breeding habitat are also
excluded.
Newson, S.E., Massimino, D., Johnston, A., Baillie, S.R. & PearceHiggins, J.W. in press. Should we account for detectability in
population trends? Bird Study.
Further reading
Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Leech, D.I., Massimino, D., Eglington,
S.M., Johnston, A., Noble, D.G., Barimore, C., Kew, A.J., Downie,
I.S., Risely, K. & Robinson, R.A. 2013. BirdTrends 2012: trends
in numbers, breeding success and survival for UK breeding
birds. BTO Research Report 644. BTO, Thetford. (www.bto.
org/birdtrends).
Eaton, M.A., Brown, A.F., Noble, D.G., Musgrove, A.J., Hearn,
R.D., Aebischer, N.J., Gibbons, D.W., Evans, A. & Gregory, R.D.
2009. Birds of Conservation Concern 3: the population
status of birds in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and
Isle of Man. British Birds 102: 296–341. (booklet at www.bto.
org/sites/default/files/u12/bocc3.pdf).
Eaton, M.A., Cuthbert, R., Dunn, E., Grice, P.V., Hall, C., Hayhow,
D.B., Hearn, R.D., Holt, C.A., Knipe, A., Marchant, J.H., Mavor, R.,
Moran, N.J., Mukhida, F., Musgrove, A.J., Noble, D.G., Oppel, S.,
Risely, K., Stroud, D.A., Toms, M. & Wotton, S. 2012. The state
of the UK’s birds 2012. RSPB, BTO, WWT, CCW, NE, NIEA,
SNH and JNCC, Sandy, Bedfordshire. (www.bto.org/sites/
default/files/u16/downloads/SUKB/stateofukbirds12.pdf).
JNCC 2013. Seabird Population Trends and Causes of
Change: 1986–2012 Report. Joint Nature Conservation
Committee. (www.jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-3201).
PECBMS 2013. Population Trends of Common European
Breeding Birds 2013. CSO, Prague. (www.ebcc.info/
wpimages/video/Leaflet2013.pdf).
12 The 2012 BBS Report
The 2012 BBS Report 13
Le s s e r
R
increa edpolls
sed by
POPULATION TRENDS
25%
United Kingdom
Table 2 UK population trends during 2011–12 and 1995–2011
11–12
95–11
LCL
UCL
Species
Mute Swan
244
8
27*
2
69
Great Tit
Greylag Goose
182
9
179*
29
401
Coal Tit
Canada Goose
459
-3
57*
32
100
Willow Tit
Shelduck
140
-8
-5
-46
48
Marsh Tit
37
28
86*
2
231
Species
betwee
n
and 2012011
2
The latest national population trends for 108
common and widespread birds
Gadwall
UK population trends are calculated
for species recorded on an average of
at least 40 BBS squares per year. Also
included are trends for Gadwall and
Nightingale, since these meet the
criteria for reporting in England (in
which their populations are mainly
found), and Pied Flycatcher, for which
the sample size has declined from above
the threshold. An increase in coverage
or species range could allow a trend for
Goosander to be calculated in future,
since this species lies just below the
40-square threshold.
FINCH FLUCTUATIONS
2012 was a good year for two small
finches; Siskin and Lesser Redpoll
numbers increased by 28% and 25%
respectively between 2011 and 2012.
While Lesser Redpoll is red-listed due
to severe declines during the 1980s, and
is still showing declines in the east of
England, both species appear to have
benefited from garden feeding in recent
years, which may partially explain the
upturns. These increases, however,
are in stark contrast to another finch
commonly seen in gardens: Greenfinch
numbers are now 17% lower than at
the start of the BBS, due to the disease
trichomonosis.
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
Since the start of the BBS 30 species
have declined significantly and 43
increased significantly. The species that
have declined the most are Turtle Dove
(-85%), Willow Tit (-82%), Wood
Warbler (-69%), Whinchat (-60%)
and Grey Partridge (-53%). The
species showing the greatest increases
are Ring-necked Parakeet (>1,000%),
Red Kite (676%), Barn Owl (279%),
Greylag Goose (179%) and Great
Spotted Woodpecker (139%). Ten
species declined significantly between
2011 and 2012, while 14 increased
significantly.
BIRDS OF CONSERVATION
CONCERN
The BBS monitors 20 red-listed
species, of which 14 have declined
significantly since the start of the
survey, and four – Song Thrush,
Grasshopper Warbler, Tree Sparrow
and Lesser Redpoll – have increased
significantly, following earlier severe
declines. Of the 37 amber-listed
species monitored, 11 have declined
significantly, and 12 increased
significantly.
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
50
-82*
-88
-74
143
-9
-24*
-37
-9
1,667
5
-22*
-28
-16
45
-4
-2
-13
13
40
Long-tailed Tit
937
3
32*
19
45
Wood Warbler
52
-20
-69*
-80
-51
93*
83
107
6
-11
27
Red-legged Partridge
538
-5
24*
12
224
15
-53*
-62
-44
1,744
-4
32*
24
41
Chiffchaff
(Cormorant)
232
-1
21
-13
68
(Grey Heron)
640
-1
-8
-20
4
124
1,450
7*
Willow Warbler
1,370
-13*
Blackcap
1,540
2
133*
5
-4
12
123
152
Little Grebe
68
37
5
-26
54
Garden Warbler
438
-5
-10
-24
5
Great Crested Grebe
69
12
11
-31
47
Lesser Whitethroat
266
-17*
4
-18
20
92
10
676*
312
1,454
1,318
-34*
40*
33
51
346
20
-13
14
Grasshopper Warbler
79
-72*
24*
1
93
0
Whitethroat
Buzzard
919
6
80*
60
99
Sedge Warbler
292
-22*
11
-8
33
Kestrel
645
23*
-30*
-38
-21
Reed Warbler
125
-16
31*
7
55
Hobby
41
6
12
-25
57
Nuthatch
470
-4
88*
64
110
Peregrine
45
-1
-28
-53
12
Treecreeper
342
3
4
-10
21
Moorhen
634
6
-9
-17
3
Coot
262
-1
29*
7
Oystercatcher
322
18*
-16*
Golden Plover
61
10
-9
Wren
2,389
29*
-5
-9
0
57
Starling
1,714
2
-53*
-57
-49
-27
-5
Dipper
57
11
-36*
-57
-4
-35
18
Blackbird
2,416
5*
22*
18
27
Lapwing
652
-3
-41*
-48
-31
Song Thrush
1,937
11*
7*
2
15
Snipe
155
19
8
-16
50
Mistle Thrush
1,146
3
-31*
-38
-24
Curlew
191
26
-49*
-61
-34
6*
3
10
500
9
-45*
-53
-38
Spotted Flycatcher
Common Sandpiper
66
13
-10
-34
20
Robin
Redshank
82
-6
-42*
-58
-17
Nightingale
32
-14
-46
-65
1
(Common Tern)
65
-42*
0
-55
162
Pied Flycatcher
39
-16
-52*
-67
-32
2,315
15*
Feral Pigeon
667
2
-15
-30
1
Redstart
158
2
31*
11
55
Stock Dove
760
-6
11
-2
25
Whinchat
73
-12
-60*
-74
-46
34
Woodpigeon
2,406
40*
32
49
Stonechat
148
43
3
-19
Collared Dove
1,323
-5
19*
9
28
Wheatear
322
-12
-1
-20
21
152
-14
-85*
-88
-81
Dunnock
2,014
7*
22*
17
29
House Sparrow
1,560
7*
59
-11
1,057*
394
4,229
-5*
-1
-8
6
709
-2
-50*
-56
-45
Tree Sparrow
173
-2
113*
62
173
(Barn Owl)
44
-13
279*
166
573
Yellow Wagtail
156
6
-45*
-55
-32
Little Owl
96
25
-44*
-56
-28
Grey Wagtail
211
9
-31*
-42
-7
(Tawny Owl)
89
19
-18
-37
4
Pied Wagtail
1,230
12*
-13*
-21
-4
1,011
52
20*
-39*
-47
-29
Tree Pipit
136
-11
1
22
-39*
-58
-11
Meadow Pipit
781
10
-21*
Chaffinch
2,428
0
12*
7
17
Greenfinch
1,754
-1
-17*
-22
-11
Goldfinch
1,553
792
8
38*
26
53
Gt Spotted Woodpecker
1,031
-2
139*
121
157
Magpie
1,844
0
-1
-6
4
744
3
15*
5
24
Siskin
168
Linnet
1,168
Green Woodpecker
www.bto.org/birdtrends
2
909
-6
Jay
UK Greenfinch trend showing smoothed
UKtrend,
Greenfinch
showing
smoothed
trend
upper trend
and lower
confidence
limits
(dark
and green),
annual confidence
index valuesinterval (pale green)
and annual index values (dots)
34
50
House Martin
132
Cuckoo
GREENFINCH BY JOHN HARDING
70
4
122
Red Grouse
Kingfisher
For species-by-species results see the
BirdTrends website:
20*
26
Swallow
Swift
90
-5
-12
Sand Martin
95
Ring-necked Parakeet
110
50
793
36*
34
-3
Turtle Dove
130
UCL
38
39
9
44
Sparrowhawk
150
LCL
45*
-1
20*
10
Red Kite
Trichomonosis has affected Greenfinch numbers
95–11
-6*
2,138
-55*
-5
150
Pheasant
11–12
Sample
1,895
1,255
Grey Partridge
‘ADD-ON’ SQUARES
Data from additional squares
in English uplands and Scottish
woodlands, surveyed by professional
fieldworkers, were included in trends
for 48 woodland and upland species.
Add-on squares were surveyed using
the same methodology as standard
BBS squares, and the difference in
sampling was accounted for in the
trend calculations. Sample sizes for
Red Grouse, Golden Plover, Snipe,
Siskin and Common Crossbill were
increased by more than 10% by these
squares, making the trends for these
species more robust.
Skylark
Tufted Duck
Mallard
LONG-DISTANCE MIGRANTS
In the 2011 breeding season, numbers
of many migrant warblers increased,
possibly due to high levels of rainfall
in the Sahel region of Africa. One
year on, a cold spring and poor
conditions during the migration season
saw numbers of many migrants fall
in 2012, including Sand Martin,
Wood Warbler, Willow Warbler,
Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat,
Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler,
Reed Warbler, Nightingale, Pied
Flycatcher, Whinchat and Wheatear.
Sample
Jackdaw
1,649
5
51*
36
67
Rook
1,264
12
-17*
-25
-7
Carrion Crow
Lesser Redpoll
95
124
89*
35
146
0
-19*
-26
-11
25*
55*
21
102
8
130*
35
256
-11
12*
2
23
1,162
0
-13*
-21
-6
Reed Bunting
472
0
19*
7
37
Corn Bunting
143
9
-34*
-47
-19
13*
5
22
Common Crossbill
-4
6
-23
45
Bullfinch
Raven
279
9
5
-39
103
Goldcrest
755
33*
-9
-23
8
2,264
-10*
2
11
• Trends are percentage changes, and are marked with
an asterisk (*) where the 95% confidence limits of the
change do not overlap zero (indicating that there has
been a significant change).
• Trends for species in brackets are reported with caveats
(see p11).
• The sample is the mean number of squares per year on
which the species was recorded during 1994–2012.
109*
28
57
1
132
7*
37
-14
594
2,274
Hooded Crow
Blue Tit
159
6*
-22
-28
Yellowhammer
• The trend since the start of the survey, covering the
years 1994–2012, has been smoothed, and the end
years truncated. This trend is labelled as 1995–2011.
• LCL and UCL are the lower and upper 95% confidence
limits for the 1995–2011 trend.
• Red-listed and amber-listed species from ‘Birds of
Conservation Concern 3’ are shown in the relevant
colour.
TREND GRAPHS
ONLINE:
www.bto.org/bbs/graphs
14 The 2012 BBS Report
Sis
i n c r e ak i n s
sed
POPULATION TRENDS
The 2012 BBS Report 15
95%
England
by
Table 3 Trends in England during 2011–12 and 1995–2011
in Engla
nd b
2011 an etween
d 2012
England-specific trends for 100 species reveal
subtle differences from the national trends
Trends are calculated for species
recorded on an average of at least 30
BBS squares in England per year. A
total of 198 species were recorded
on the 2,640 BBS squares covered in
England in 2012. The average sample
sizes for Little Egret, Peregrine,
Common Sandpiper and Dipper were
just below the threshold for reporting
trends, so an increase in survey coverage
or species range could allow trends to
be produced in future.
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
A large proportion of the populations
of most UK bird species are in England,
so England-specific trends are generally
similar to UK trends.
‘ADD-ON’ SQUARES
Data from additional squares
in English uplands, surveyed
by professional fieldworkers,
were included in trends for 18
upland species. Add-on squares
were surveyed using the same
methodology as standard BBS
squares, and the difference in
sampling was accounted for in the
Species
-8
40
Great Tit
Greylag Goose
150
-5
248*
128
546
Coal Tit
Canada Goose
427
-12
42*
16
80
Shelduck
115
-7
25
-26
65
Gadwall
35
30
82*
6
233
100
80
20
10
20
11
20
12
20
09
20
07
20
08
5
20
06
20
0
02
03
20
04
20
20
01
20
19
99
20
00
19
97
19
98
5
19
96
19
9
44
521
-12*
29*
12
49
Willow Tit
44
-8
-81*
-88
-72
Marsh Tit
130
-8
-26*
-38
-8
1,330
13*
-23*
-26
-18
80
Skylark
29*
19
41
Sand Martin
33
-8
69
Swallow
Red Grouse
75
-11
-4
-26
23
523
-2
20*
8
33
Sample
UCL
-47*
11
-28
40
1,465
2
43*
33
53
House Martin
716
-7
-17*
-26
-6
Long-tailed Tit
826
5
24*
13
36
104
200
21*
-49*
-57
-39
1,474
-5
33*
25
42
Willow Warbler
(Cormorant)
194
7
16
-6
60
Blackcap
(Grey Heron)
Chiffchaff
1,219
8*
90*
80
904
-11*
-29*
-34
-20
1,316
-1
108*
97
120
528
-6
-15*
-25
-1
Garden Warbler
355
-20*
-21*
-30
-10
Little Grebe
54
1
-4
-36
51
Lesser Whitethroat
255
-20*
0
-17
18
Great Crested Grebe
63
36*
-8
-26
18
Whitethroat
1,139
-31*
38*
31
51
Red Kite
67
9
4,630
11,535
36
-60*
-9
-37
53
-16
31
8
57
11,260*
Grasshopper Warbler
Sparrowhawk
285
27*
-4
-18
10
Sedge Warbler
187
-30*
1
Buzzard
611
12*
167*
131
216
Reed Warbler
119
-16
30*
Kestrel
567
23*
-15*
-22
-6
Nuthatch
399
1
92*
70
118
Hobby
40
12
19
-15
68
Treecreeper
254
5
1
-11
23
Moorhen
587
2
-10*
-17
-2
Wren
1,846
18*
-2
-7
1
Coot
237
1
25*
3
51
Starling
1,405
-5
-58*
-62
-55
24
Oystercatcher
174
5
47*
14
78
Blackbird
1,914
3*
19*
15
Lapwing
543
-4
-24*
-34
-14
Song Thrush
1,504
10*
12*
6
17
82
19
-20
-38
8
-6
-38*
-43
-32
-2
-56*
-66
-43
12*
13*
9
17
-62
13
320
4
-32*
-39
-22
Redshank
58
10
-32*
-51
-2
(Common Tern)
60
-36
46
-21
222
Mistle Thrush
Spotted Flycatcher
Robin
901
133
1,818
Nightingale
32
-14
-42
Feral Pigeon
553
0
-23*
-32
-12
Redstart
89
-5
12
-14
36
Stock Dove
701
-5
9
-5
21
Whinchat
32
0
-48*
-69
-23
79
Woodpigeon
1,935
6*
46*
38
55
Stonechat
67
-21
7
-35
Collared Dove
1,161
-7*
18*
11
28
Wheatear
180
8
17
-11
52
150
-7
-85*
-88
-80
Dunnock
1,635
4*
17*
10
24
59
-11
1,058*
395
4,191
House Sparrow
1,285
-6*
-12*
-19
-4
553
-9
-65*
-68
-61
Tree Sparrow
138
-9
75*
33
132
-32
Cuckoo
20
33
-1
Ring-necked Parakeet
England Grey Wagtail trend showing smoothed
trend (dark green), confidence interval (pale green)
and annual index values (dots)
LCL
38*
13
Turtle Dove
60
95–11
-8*
131
Curlew
120
11–12
1,727
1,057
Snipe
160
Sample
Tufted Duck
Pheasant
(Barn Owl)
42
-7
285*
168
515
Yellow Wagtail
152
5
-45*
-53
Little Owl
93
23
-42*
-53
-27
Grey Wagtail
141
-24*
-19
-33
3
(Tawny Owl)
76
-1
-10
-29
25
Pied Wagtail
938
5
-15*
-22
-7
875
22*
-39*
-47
-30
-16
46
10
-33*
-52
-8
Meadow Pipit
740
10*
49*
37
65
Chaffinch
100
133
-6
4
Swift
Kingfisher
Green Woodpecker
Gt Spotted Woodpecker
Magpie
899
-5
117*
1,547
2
-1
72
-13
-45*
-64
423
0
-14*
-26
-2
1,875
1
12*
8
17
Greenfinch
1,481
-1
-15*
-20
-9
Goldfinch
1,285
5
100*
83
118
-7
392
Tree Pipit
641
-1
7
-1
18
Siskin
58
95*
96
Jackdaw
1,322
2
53*
41
63
Linnet
949
15*
-19*
-26
-9
Rook
1,005
2
-10*
-19
0
62
30
14
-29
85
Carrion Crow
1,880
6*
457
-3
8
-3
22
1,015
2
-22*
-26
-17
Jay
Raven
Goldcrest
Blue Tit
GREY WAGTAIL BY JOHN HARDING
Of the 100 species for which Englandspecific trends can be calculated, 33
have declined significantly and 36 have
increased significantly since the start
of the survey. The species that have
declined the most are Turtle Dove
(-85%), Willow Tit (-81%), Cuckoo
(-65%), Starling (-58%) and Spotted
Flycatcher (-56%). The greatest
increases have been shown by Red Kite
(>1,000%), Ring-necked Parakeet
(>1,000%), Barn Owl (285%),
Greylag Goose (248%) and Buzzard
(167%).
UCL
11
Grey Partridge
180
40
LCL
13
Red-legged Partridge
trend calculations. Sample sizes for
Red Grouse, Snipe, Whinchat,
Stonechat, Wheatear and Siskin
were increased by more than 10%
by these squares, and without these
additional squares it would not be
possible to produce an Englandspecific trend for Whinchat.
Grey Wagtail numbers fell significantly in England between
2011 and 2012
19
94
Grey Partridge, Great Crested Grebe,
Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Green
Woodpecker, Carrion Crow, Skylark,
Siskin and Linnet all increased
significantly in England between 2011
and 2012, while national changes were
not significant.
95–11
209
Mallard
140
Collared Dove, Coal Tit, Garden
Warbler and Grey Wagtail all declined
significantly between 2011 and 2012
in England, though across the UK as a
whole declines were not significant, or
numbers increased.
11–12
Mute Swan
Species
Lesser Redpoll
20*
11
31
120
88
-9
-65
305
531
30*
15
0
35
Reed Bunting
356
0
26*
11
45
1,828
-9*
1
10
Corn Bunting
137
11
-30*
-44
-17
• Trends are percentage changes, and are marked with
an asterisk (*) where the 95% confidence limits of the
change do not overlap zero (indicating that there has
been a significant change).
• Trends for species in brackets are reported with caveats
(see p11).
• The sample is the mean number of squares per year on
which the species was recorded during 1994–2012.
6*
Bullfinch
Yellowhammer
• The trend since the start of the survey, covering the
years 1994–2012, has been smoothed, and the end
years truncated. This trend is labelled as 1995–2011.
• LCL and UCL are the lower and upper 95% confidence
limits for the 1995–2011 trend.
• Red-listed and amber-listed species from ‘Birds of
Conservation Concern 3’ are shown in the relevant
colour.
TREND GRAPHS
ONLINE:
www.bto.org/bbs/graphs
16 The 2012 BBS Report
The 2012 BBS Report 17
Wr
increa ens
sed by
POPULATION TRENDS
66%
Scotland
Table 4 Trends in Scotland during 2011–12 and 1995–2011
in Scotl
and b
2011 an etween
d 2012
Species
Sample
11–12
95–11
LCL
UCL
Mallard
98
-11
-6
-23
21
Long-tailed Tit
Red Grouse
Pheasant
The number of Scotland-specific bird trends
increased to 61 with the addition of Long-tailed Tit
Trends are calculated for species
recorded on an average of at least 30
BBS squares in Scotland per year,
now including Long-tailed Tit for
the first time. A total of 158 species
were recorded on the 380 BBS squares
covered in Scotland in 2012. The
average sample size for Sand Martin is
just below the threshold for reporting
trends, so an increase in survey coverage
or species range could allow a trend to
be produced in future.
WRENS RECOVER
Numbers of Wrens and Goldcrests
have declined in Scotland since
2008, presumably due to the series
of cold winters. Between 2011 and
2012, however, both species increased
significantly, by 66% and 34%
respectively. Linnet, Whitethroat and
Swift showed the greatest declines in
Scotland between 2011 and 2012, by
-49%, -44% and -42% respectively.
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
Of the 61 species for which Scotlandspecific trends can be calculated, nine
have declined significantly and 20 have
increased significantly since the start
of the survey. The species that have
(Grey Heron)
Data from additional squares in
Scottish woodlands were included
in trends for 27 woodland species.
LCL
UCL
107*
6
220
798
52
-11
-3
-26
24
Chiffchaff
48
10
414*
242
130
-1
19
-8
43
Willow Warbler
211
-13*
38*
18
54
48
6
5
-23
42
Blackcap
58
18
357*
196
589
-4
31*
2
67
Whitethroat
78
-44*
112*
47
204
30
-57*
-74
-31
Sedge Warbler
54
-13
35
-12
108
Oystercatcher
126
25*
-30*
-40
-20
Treecreeper
36
1
0
-38
49
Golden Plover
38
4
-18
-44
16
Wren
221
66*
-6
-17
11
Lapwing
86
2
-56*
-66
-40
Starling
145
21
-40*
-55
-21
9
55
55
24
15
-11
56
Blackbird
195
14*
30*
119
14
-56*
-64
-45
Song Thrush
172
13
-5
-24
17
33
15
-8
-37
20
Mistle Thrush
76
31
-12
-37
38
Feral Pigeon
62
1
7
-38
79
Robin
Woodpigeon
195
14
6
-16
28
Stonechat
Collared Dove
50
-4
-9
-36
40
Cuckoo
72
5
-5
-29
23
195
28*
4
-10
15
36
174*
-20
-47
43
Wheatear
78
-24*
-4
-28
31
Dunnock
139
7
60*
29
103
6
79
Swift
50
-42*
-57*
-70
-34
House Sparrow
92
9
Gt Spotted Woodpecker
48
21
329*
209
517
Grey Wagtail
31
101
-32
-59
12
Magpie
46
0
24
-8
79
Pied Wagtail
128
20
-13
-35
14
38*
Jackdaw
113
14
39*
12
90
Tree Pipit
32
-23
84*
15
165
Rook
109
63
-34*
-49
-8
Meadow Pipit
200
11
-29*
-39
-19
Carrion Crow
183
-19
-8
-26
12
Chaffinch
237
-2
16*
3
30
Hooded Crow
50
-20
-23
-51
19
Greenfinch
102
-2
-21
-39
6
Raven
44
-32*
35
-19
114
Goldfinch
88
20
164*
72
248
91
21
144
34*
-5
-33
40
Siskin
75
17
Blue Tit
165
-7
8
-6
20
Linnet
87
-49*
-16
-38
17
Great Tit
150
6
51*
22
84
Lesser Redpoll
47
15
55
-2
152
Coal Tit
129
0
8
-9
30
Bullfinch
Skylark
202
-2
-19*
-32
-4
Yellowhammer
Swallow
168
-2
34*
15
66
Reed Bunting
62
22
114*
34
251
House Martin
• Trends are percentage changes, and are marked with
an asterisk (*) where the 95% confidence limits of the
change do not overlap zero (indicating that there has
been a significant change).
• Trends for species in brackets are reported with caveats
(see p11).
• The sample is the mean number of squares per year on
which the species was recorded during 1994–2012.
Linnet numbers fell significantly in Scotland between 2011 and 2012
95–11
-37
42
Goldcrest
‘ADD-ON’ SQUARES
11–12
141
Common Sandpiper
Add-on squares were surveyed using
the same methodology as standard
BBS squares, and the difference in
sampling was accounted for in the
trend calculations. Sample sizes
for Tree Pipit, Siskin and Lesser
Redpoll were increased by more than
15% by these squares, and without
them it would not be possible to
produce Scotland-specific trends for
Long-tailed Tit, Grey Wagtail or
Tree Pipit.
30
Buzzard
Curlew
declined the most are Kestrel (-57%),
Swift (-57%), Lapwing (-56%),
Curlew (-56%) and Starling (-40%).
The greatest increases since the start
of the survey have been shown by
Chiffchaff (414%), Blackcap (357%),
Great Spotted Woodpecker (329%),
Goldfinch (164%) and House Martin
(114%).
Sample
Kestrel
Snipe
A Scotlandspecific trend can
now be produced
for Long-tailed Tit
Species
• The trend since the start of the survey, covering the
years 1994–2012, has been smoothed, and the end
years truncated. This trend is labelled as 1995–2011.
• LCL and UCL are the lower and upper 95% confidence
limits for the 1995–2011 trend.
• Red-listed and amber-listed species from ‘Birds of
Conservation Concern 3’ are shown in the relevant
colour.
81*
40
-27
52*
1
108
103
-6
31*
5
64
56
7
19
-16
73
TREND GRAPHS
ONLINE:
www.bto.org/bbs/graphs
Goldcrest populations in Scotland have started to recover following a decline
300 Scotland Goldcrest trend showing smoothed trend
140
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
20
150
100
50
GOLDCREST BY STEVE ROUND
Scotland Linnet trend showing smoothed trend
(dark green), confidence interval (pale green)
and annual index values (dots)
200
4
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
60
250
19
9
100
LINNET by john harding, LONG-TAILED TIT BY BEN ANDREW
(dark green), confidence interval (pale green) and
annual index values (dots)
18 The 2012 BBS Report
The 2012 BBS Report 19
Lo n g - t
a
increa iled Tit s
sed by
POPULATION TRENDS
132%
Wales
Table 5 Trends in Wales during 2011–12 and 1995–2011 in Wale
s be
2011 an tween
d 2012
Species
Sample
11–12
95–11
LCL
UCL
11–12
95–11
LCL
Mallard
65
-17
-17
-55
43
Willow Warbler
156
-14
0
-16
22
Pheasant
91
-4
35
-4
82
Blackcap
119
6
163*
112
220
WOODPECKER WORRIES
Despite doing well in other parts of
the UK, in 2012 Green Woodpeckers
reached their lowest levels in Wales
since the start of the survey, as did
Yellowhammers and Starlings.
Long-tailed Tits, however, had a good
year, increasing by 132% between 2011
and 2012.
42
69
-20
-40
16
Garden Warbler
56
-19
-11
-42
35
3
4
-18
30
Whitethroat
80
-46*
-4
-19
20
Curlew
34
-4
-58*
-72
-39
Nuthatch
69
-29
49*
16
92
Feral Pigeon
33
33
56
-12
118
Treecreeper
39
-13
3
-33
50
Woodpigeon
183
-2
41*
14
68
71
-14
37
-6
101
Starling
-8
-23
3
-4
-70*
-81
-58
59
56
-7
-34*
-49
-16
Blackbird
192
3
42*
28
165*
-44*
-64
-5
Song Thrush
164
9
10
-4
27
Green Woodpecker
46
-20
-19
-42
15
Mistle Thrush
97
-5
-4
-29
22
75
-7
198*
126
301
158
-7
-10
-22
3
Jackdaw
Rook
188
20*
-16*
-23
-4
Redstart
56
-6
39*
13
72
9
246
Robin
71
1
38*
5
68
Stonechat
34
6
136
4
35
-8
118
Wheatear
51
17
-13
82*
77
-26
-26
-49
7
Dunnock
149
16*
29*
-31
12
11
56
145
197
7
7
-12
24
House Sparrow
121
-21*
99*
63
Raven
87
19
26
-19
117
Pied Wagtail
112
5
-9
-23
7
Goldcrest
79
16
-49*
-65
-12
Tree Pipit
31
48
-9
-43
43
Blue Tit
173
-23*
17*
3
33
Meadow Pipit
Great Tit
167
-19*
56*
32
82
Chaffinch
Carrion Crow
Coal Tit
72
-18
2
-30
38
Skylark
100
-17
-14
-31
6
Swallow
167
3
31*
85
-5
16
59
132*
37
75*
House Martin
Long-tailed Tit
Chiffchaff
135
7
84
-6
-10
-24
3
194
-7
-3
-16
14
Greenfinch
110
-17
-17
-36
17
Goldfinch
125
-6
79*
38
142
7
57
Linnet
89
-3
-30*
-51
-3
-24
59
Bullfinch
62
-17
-5
-27
29
-4
112
Yellowhammer
34
-19
-48*
-67
-30
42
113
UCL
Table 6 Trends in Northern Ireland during 2011–12 and 1995–2011
11–12
95–11
LCL
UCL
Species
11–12
95–11
LCL
Pheasant
39
-13
144*
32
255
Wren
88
57*
12
-19
52
Woodpigeon
81
-6
93*
44
159
Starling
76
-7
25
-10
76
Collared Dove
30
49*
113*
15
212
Blackbird
83
18*
30
-4
59
Magpie
80
-7
19
-14
47
Song Thrush
74
17
23
-12
62
Jackdaw
73
7
107*
45
177
Mistle Thrush
57
14
-16
-68
56
Robin
85
8
1
-18
22
Dunnock
67
32*
62
-11
117
-10
154
Species
2012 was a poor year for Swallows in
Northern Ireland, where they declined
by 18% between 2011 and 2012.
Swallows declined in Northern
Ireland between 2011 and 2012
Isle of Man and the
Channel Islands
Four BBS squares were surveyed in
the Isle of Man in 2012. A record
20 squares were covered on the
Channel Islands, and 79 species
were recorded.
GREEN WOODPECKER AND SWALLOW BY BEN ANDREW
COLLARED DOVES INCREASE
Collared Doves have started to decline
in the UK overall, but in Northern
Ireland numbers are still increasing.
41*
79
64
Jay
Northern-Ireland-specific population trends of 33
species include Collared Dove for the first time
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
Of the 33 species for which
Northern-Ireland-specific trends
can be calculated, two have declined
significantly and 12 have increased
significantly since the start of the
survey. The species that have declined
the most are Skylark (-50%), Meadow
Pipit (-29%), Reed Bunting (-17%),
Mistle Thrush (-16%) and Greenfinch
(-10%). The greatest increases are
by Blackcap (>1,000%), Goldfinch
(929%), Great Tit (176%), Pheasant
(144%) and Hooded Crow (127%).
191
Cuckoo
Magpie
Northern Ireland
Trends are calculated for species
recorded on an average of at least
30 BBS squares in Northern Ireland
per year, now including Collared
Dove for the first time. A total of 105
species were recorded on the 116 BBS
squares covered in Northern Ireland
in 2012. The average sample sizes for
Sedge Warbler, Lesser Redpoll and
Buzzard were just below the threshold
for reporting trends, so an increase in
coverage or species range could allow
trends to be produced in future.
Wren
Swift
Gt Spotted Woodpecker
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
Of the 53 species for which Walesspecific trends can be calculated, eight
have declined significantly and 15
have increased significantly since the
start of the survey. The species that
have declined the most are Starling
(-70%), Curlew (-58%), Goldcrest
(-49%), Yellowhammer (-48%) and
Swift (-44%). The greatest increases
since the start of the survey have been
shown by Great Spotted Woodpecker
(198%), Blackcap (163%), House
Sparrow (99%), Stonechat (82%) and
Goldfinch (79%).
UCL
138
Collared Dove
Trends are calculated for species
recorded on an average of at least 30
BBS squares in Wales per year. A total
of 138 species were recorded on the
270 BBS squares covered in Wales in
2012. The average sample sizes for
Stock Dove and Reed Bunting were
just below the threshold for reporting
trends, so an increase in survey coverage
or species range could allow trends to
be produced in future.
Sample
Buzzard
(Grey Heron)
Wales-specific trends for 53 birds include very
different trends for two woodpecker species
Species
Sample
Sample
Rook
71
17
-1
-33
45
Hooded Crow
78
20
127*
69
215
Goldcrest
43
105*
1
-36
22
House Sparrow
51
-5
63
Blue Tit
74
-6
3
-31
33
Pied Wagtail
42
39*
11*
Great Tit
69
8
176*
102
215
Meadow Pipit
61
35*
-29*
-42
-2
Coal Tit
61
-1
93*
32
162
Chaffinch
87
3
47*
9
73
Skylark
32
-4
-50*
-64
-40
Greenfinch
49
18
-10
-45
64
Swallow
81
-18*
3
-23
32
Goldfinch
46
13*
929*
House Martin
41
-27*
69
-7
189
Chiffchaff
33
-15
50
-2
74
Willow Warbler
77
-19*
114*
43
162
Blackcap
34
20*
>1,000*
• Trends are percentage changes, and are marked with
an asterisk (*) where the 95% confidence limits of the
change do not overlap zero (indicating that there has
been a significant change).
• Trends for species in brackets are reported with caveats
(see p11).
• The sample is the mean number of squares per year on
which the species was recorded during 1994–2012.
Not estimable
Not estimable
Linnet
36
25
41
-17
Bullfinch
31
-15
35
-29
55
Reed Bunting
32
0
-17
-50
48
121
Not estimable
• The trend since the start of the survey, covering the
years 1994–2012, has been smoothed, and the end
years truncated. This trend is labelled as 1995–2011.
• LCL and UCL are the lower and upper 95% confidence
limits for the 1995–2011 trend.
• Red-listed and amber-listed species from ‘Birds of
Conservation Concern 3’ are shown in the relevant
colour.
TREND GRAPHS
ONLINE:
www.bto.org/bbs/graphs
20 The 2012 BBS Report
The 2012 BBS Report 21
Nut ha
increa t ches
sed by
POPULATION TRENDS
339%
English regions
Table 7 Trends in English regions during 1995–2011
in the N
o
from 19 rth West
95–201
1
Species
Population trends of 78 common and widespread
birds in different regions of England since 1995
Trends are reported­­for species found
on an average of at least 30 squares per
year in that region. Changes discussed
here are the population changes since
the start of the BBS, and comparisons
between regions are made only if trends
have been calculated in at least four
regions. More detailed information is
available on the BBS website, including
population changes between 2011 and
2012 and population trend graphs.
NORTH EAST
Trends were produced for 32 species,
including Magpie for the first time.
Starling has shown the greatest
decline of all species in this region, and
Chiffchaff the greatest increase. Blue
Tit and Yellowhammer declined more
than in other regions, but no species
did better in this region than in any
other.
YORKSHIRE
Trends were produced for 50 species,
including Tree Sparrow for the first
time. Rook declined the most among
species in this region, and Chiffchaff
Region
increased most. Great Spotted
Woodpecker and Whitethroat
increased less than in other regions,
while Woodpigeon, Coal Tit and
Blackbird increased more.
Ring-necked Parakeets have
increased by over 1,000% in London
EAST MIDLANDS
Cuckoo has shown the greatest decline
of the 54 species for which trends were
produced, and Buzzard the greatest
increase. Stock Dove, Cuckoo, Swift
and Pied Wagtail did worse than in
other regions, but this was the only
region in which Kestrel, Garden
Warbler and Yellowhammer increased.
EAST OF ENGLAND
Of the 65 species for which trends
were produced, Turtle Dove showed
the greatest decline and Buzzard the
greatest increase. Willow Warbler,
Garden Warbler and Mistle Thrush
showed greater declines than in other
regions, while Swift and Starling
declined less.
Counties
Squares 2012
1
North West
Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside
288
2
North East
Cleveland, County Durham, Northumberland
103
3
5
Yorkshire & Humber East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire
Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire & Rutland, Lincolnshire,
East Midlands
Nottinghamshire
East of England
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk
367
6
West Midlands
224
7
South East
8
South West
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey,
Sussex
Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire
9
London
Greater London
4
Birmingham, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire
283
270
602
406
97
WEST MIDLANDS
Of the 51 species for which trends were
produced, Cuckoo showed the greatest
decline and Goldfinch the greatest
increase. Woodpigeon and Great Tit
showed smaller increases than in other
regions, while Mallard and Goldcrest
increased more than in other regions.
SOUTH EAST
Turtle Dove has declined most out of
the 67 species for which trends were
produced, and Red Kite increased the
most. Fifteen species did worse than
in other regions, including Lapwing,
House Martin and Linnet, while no
species did better than in other regions.
SOUTH WEST
Trends were produced for 61 species, of
which Cuckoo declined the most and
Great Spotted Woodpecker increased
the most. Goldcrest and Starling did
worse than in other regions, while Redlegged Partridge and Great Spotted
Woodpecker did better.
LONDON
Trends were produced for 25 species,
including Long-tailed Tit for the first
time. House Sparrow has shown the
greatest decline of all species in this
region, and Ring-necked Parakeet the
greatest increase.
RING-NECKED PARAKEET BY CHRISTINE M MATTHEWS
NORTH WEST
Of the 55 species for which trends
were produced, Starling has declined
the most and Nuthatch has shown the
greatest increase. Sparrowhawk and
Moorhen have declined more than
in other regions, while Cuckoo and
Mistle Thrush declined less.
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Shelduck
Mallard
Red Grouse
Red-legged Partridge
Grey Partridge
Pheasant
(Cormorant)
(Grey Heron)
Red Kite
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Kestrel
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Lapwing
Curlew
Feral Pigeon
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Turtle Dove
Ring-necked Parakeet
Cuckoo
Swift
Green Woodpecker
Gt Spotted Woodpecker
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Raven
Goldcrest
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Marsh Tit
Skylark
Swallow
House Martin
Long-tailed Tit
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Blackcap
Garden Warbler
Lesser Whitethroat
Whitethroat
Sedge Warbler
Reed Warbler
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
Wren
Starling
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Spotted Flycatcher
Robin
Wheatear
Dunnock
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Yellow Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Bullfinch
Yellowhammer
Reed Bunting
Corn Bunting
North West
86*
63
23
149
North East
48*
3
29
85
32
44
75*
East
Midlands
63
38
28*
97
121
-29
-41
15
75
31
140
32
-6
48
115*
128
-21
77
-44*
121*
-16
-29*
19
13
-35*
-47*
-29
151*
65*
44*
32
60
67
69
30
52
110
84
74
51
202
127
-49*
-42*
33
108
130*
-11*
28
58*
-41*
35*
82
176
65
128
84
209
45
-2
36*
36*
38
193
178
62
-36*
23*
13
26
231*
25
172*
113
185
96
79
89
138
106
19
82
339*
35
21*
-55*
43*
39*
-5
198
169
201
153
117
-12
-63*
27
-20*
-33*
64
51
61
53
34
2
-61*
55*
31*
-57*
144
109
142
97
71
-3
-48*
18*
20
-31*
23*
-10
34*
10
192
43
167
152
19
60
32*
-22
50
37
23*
33
6
8
201*
125
33
111
86
31
-15
-16
26*
0
151*
-13
19
-25
11
121
78
199
149
149
89
38
55
57
51*
Yorkshire
58
-41
-28
-36*
38
39
32*
70
-40*
12
49
36
174*
2
-1
-38
67*
88*
-1
33
90
86
55
46
143
72
-57*
-43*
39
75
>1,000*
9
-24
3
East of
England
42
33
40
107*
54
13
34
37
186
12
West
Midlands
24
65
South East
54
13
33
24
107
31
44
76*
109
25*
221
42*
143
67*
34
52
131
7
57
117
33
368
43
117
47
66
130
132
140
61
126*
67*
111*
-68*
29*
74*
-6
>1,000*
-10
>1,000*
-18*
-16
20
52*
-25
-17
255
32
77
7
19*
-30*
9
47
208
75
63
-7
-43*
-8
-6
-36*
175
42
266
47
81
12
37 >1,000*
60
-14
56
-10
0
47
39
106
124
38
182*
-12
-22
86
42
59
73
-18
38
-44*
105
61
-17
>1,000*
32
-43*
57
93*
28*
6
35
75
38
58*
76
29*
134*
75
70
96*
30
155*
41
106
184
458
283
51
-19
3
46*
15
66
114
325
181
52
78
39
54
131
113
148
159
141
230
109
206
174
286
-69*
-27*
23
133*
-19*
-19
60*
-14
-1
55
74
60
97
154
58
130
83
171
-59*
-49*
38*
111*
12*
-8
71*
13
12
167
168
292
283
391
215
339
233
440
179
445
433
140
51
301
302
146
230
340
153
356
97
53
280
33
31
166
87
435
326
457
395
224
30
440
-74*
-51*
10
154*
-7
1
36*
-13
2
-39
-15
4
56*
13
76
139
123
146
272
100
251
206
320
56
121
311
299
95
-23*
76*
-10
39*
54*
-48*
134*
-3
0
44*
34
206
276
142
133
270
151
251
61
40
194
32
89*
-15
-6
-72*
25*
21*
-38*
-42*
7
77
46
317
192
327
270
121
30
313
35*
-47*
-24*
-33*
-49*
71
75
77
48
33
76*
73
25*
20
288
216
12
-69*
57
66
-37*
-17*
-4
-2
-30*
76*
-22
1
-12
44
30
143
44
322
262
238
168
101
156
31
157*
58*
281*
52
59
42
52
43
68
39
-63*
65*
97
92
147
78*
21
40*
104
88
164
-9
55*
59
55
49
35
3
50*
157*
129
111
36
16
53*
19
162
150
35
39*
15*
24*
9
68
287
271
59
50
-5
24*
66*
39
171
165
45
-31*
42*
58
63
213*
-12
73*
33
58
35
-1
41*
-12
54
232*
20
87*
122
133
61
43
59
99
72
15
71
-20*
30*
-28*
38*
108*
-72*
83*
-35*
15
19*
-16
3
265
217
99
142
188
118
224
58
70
235
46
40
110
136
78
83
129
88
126
43
35
145
138
53
70
82
89
105
31
32
122
-23*
28*
-16
1
127*
-44*
107*
-23
64*
-36*
104*
-36
51*
281*
-47*
86*
9
10
80*
44*
99
152*
46
167
125
174
122
81
3
-45*
5
-6
-58*
284
229
302
224
135
-9*
-65*
31*
73*
-13
166
130
173
142
85
12
162
19*
282
23*
171
20*
12*
30*
-3
-20
-26*
27*
-49*
-3
47*
-71*
111*
-17
-33*
71*
11
19
56*
12
-9*
-62*
1
-12*
-57*
-70*
0
25*
7
61
-75*
154
111
32
34
14*
-34*
257
194
32*
-4
157
136
3
-35*
395
288
-39*
48
-45*
-32
35*
-4
126*
-21
29
1
53*
89
39
172
131
114
106
41
126
53
-14
-29
32*
-1
58*
-18
-8
-19*
30
-12
147
43
301
246
191
164
61
212
77
39
2
82
-20*
-36*
5
-30*
49*
-39*
-29*
-27*
-27*
-62*
193
49
446
363
294
217
129
242
58
30
78
36
76
50
-16
17
32*
10
-86*
-3
-16
8
-15
50*
61*
26
43
79
173
112
39
88
40
68
-43*
25
31*
-33*
71
-23
-40*
-21*
73
133
309
204
70
30
86
80
144
95
98
83
40
-14
-4
51*
70*
-86*
-1
-36*
-25
26*
-10
168*
-4
-15
47
68
177
104
-66*
-14
150*
76*
31*
55*
114*
17
86*
41
43
69
40
44
42
London
-32
-47*
37*
30*
-83*
-58*
154*
125*
1
-3
-6
22
-8
109*
-10
South West
-16
-18*
-12
196*
-22
22
-38*
170
136
114
71
50
103
• This table shows the smoothed trend since the start of • Trends are percentage changes, and are marked with
• Red-listed and amber-listed species from ‘Birds of
the survey (in bold) and sample sizes (regular).
an asterisk (*) where the 95% confidence limits of the
Conservation Concern 3’ are shown in the relevant colour.
• The sample is the mean number of squares per year on change do not overlap zero (indicating that there has
• Trends for species in brackets are reported with caveats
which the species was recorded during 1994–2012.
been a significant change).
(see p11).
22 The 2012 BBS Report
The 2012 BBS Report 23
BBS MAMMALS
Re d
increa Deer
sed by
99%
Mammal monitoring
betwee
n 1995
and 201
2
Population trends for nine mammal species have
been produced using counts made by BBS volunteers
Table 8 Commonly-recorded mammals in 2012
In addition to those listed in Table 8, a
further 30 species recorded in 2012 are
shown in Table 9.
BBS counts are used to calculate
population trends for nine relatively
widespread mammal species, shown in
Table 10. Of these, four have increased
significantly since 1995: Grey Squirrel
(56%), Reeves’ Muntjac (96%), Red
Deer (99%) and Roe Deer (71%).
Two mammals have declined
significantly: Rabbit (-40%) and
Mountain/Irish Hare (-21%). The
decline in Fox numbers is now no
longer significant.
The information on species detected
more often by signs of their presence
than by sightings can also be used to
estimate trends, although these require
more careful interpretation. We will
report periodically on these trends in
occurrence.
Species
Scientific name
Grey Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus
Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus
Brown Hare
Lepus europaeus
Squares Squares
Individuals
recorded
seen
991
921
2,126
99
29
50
1,731
1,624
13,529
810
778
2,870
Mountain/Irish Hare Lepus timidus
71
60
186
Hedgehog
Erinaceus europaeus
89
13
13
Mole
Talpa europaea
515
2
2
Domestic Cat
Felis catus
345
293
511
Fox
Vulpes vulpes
590
303
380
Badger
Meles meles
313
15
17
Stoat
Mustela erminea
78
32
35
Reeves' Muntjac
Muntiacus reevesi
171
124
167
Red Deer
Cervus elaphus
103
86
1,188
Fallow Deer
Dama dama
115
74
1,224
Roe Deer
Capreolus capreolus
684
566
1,166
Table 9 All other mammal species in 2012
Hedgehogs were recorded on 89
BBS squares in 2012
Squares
recorded
31
Species
Scientific name
Red Squirrel
Sciurus vulgaris
Bank Vole
Myodes glareolus
35
Short-tailed Vole
Microtus agrestis
28
Orkney Vole
Microtus arvalis
1
Water Vole
Arvicola terrestris
5
Harvest Mouse
Micromys minutus
Wood Mouse
Apodemus sylvaticus
32
Yellow-necked Mouse
Apodemus flavicollis
4
House Mouse
Mus domesticus
Common Shrew
Sorex araneus
48
Pygmy Shrew
Sorex minutus
9
Water Shrew
Neomys fodiens
4
Species
Grey Squirrel
Rabbit
Brown Hare
Trend 95–12
Sample
56*
644
-40*
1,261
7
623
Mountain/Irish Hare
-21*
45
Fox
-10
264
Reeves’ Muntjac
96*
77
Red Deer
99*
56
Fallow Deer
52
53
Roe Deer
71*
347
• This table shows unsmoothed trends (in bold) and sample sizes (regular).
• Population changes are shown for mammal species for which the sample size
is at least 35 squares.
• Trends are percentage changes, and are marked with an asterisk (*) where
significant at the 95% level or more.
• The sample is the mean number of squares on which the species was recorded
each year during the survey period 1995–2012.
• Squares recorded: number of squares on which the species was recorded,
including counts, field signs, dead animals and local knowledge.
• Squares seen: number of squares on which the species was seen and
counted.
• Individuals: total number of individuals counted, taking the maximum count
from the two visits to each square.
Rabbits have declined
by 40% since 1995
2
9
Lesser White-toothed Shrew Crocidura suaveolens
1
Lesser Horseshoe Bat
Rhinolophus hipposideros
1
Daubenton's Bat
Myotis daubentonii
2
Noctule
Nyctalus noctula
Pipistrelle sp.
Pipistrellus pipistrellus/pygmaeus
Brown Long-eared Bat
Plecotus auritus
Otter
Lutra lutra
Pine Marten
Martes martes
7
Weasel
Mustela nivalis
78
Polecat
Mustela putorius
American Mink
Mustela vison
Common Seal
Phoca vitulina
Grey Seal
Halichoerus grypus
Wild Boar
Sus scrofa
Sika Deer
Cervus nippon
Chinese Water Deer
Hydropotes inermis
8
Feral Goat
Capra hircus
3
Park Cattle
Bos taurus
1
2
31
2
45
1
19
2
10
1
11
RABBIT BY JOHN HARDING
Table 8 shows the 15 most widespread
species in 2012. For easily detectable
diurnal species, such as Brown Hare,
Rabbit, Grey Squirrel and some deer,
the vast majority of records were of
individuals seen and counted during
the two BBS visits. However, a large
proportion of the records for other
mammals were based on field signs or
dead animals. These include those for
mainly nocturnal or crepuscular species,
such as Hedgehog, Mole and Badger.
Live mammals were seen and counted
during at least one bird-recording visit
on 2,355 squares (90% of the mammal
returns). On 99 squares (4%) the
only mammal records were from extra
visits, field signs, dead animals or local
knowledge, and on 153 squares (6%)
the observer reported that they saw no
evidence of any mammals. This leaves
823 squares on which the observer did
not attempt to record mammals, and
we would encourage all volunteers to
look out for mammals when possible.
HEDGEHOG BY BEN ANDREW
Mammal records were received from
2,607 squares, 76% of the total number
surveyed. This includes ‘null’ counts,
where the recorder confirmed that no
mammals were detected.
Table 10 UK mammal trends 1995–2012
SPECIAL THANKS
We would like to thank all surveyors and ROs for making the BBS the success it is today. Space does not permit all
observers to be acknowledged individually here, but we would especially like to thank the ROs for their efforts.
BBS Regional Organisers in 2012:
ENGLAND
Avon
Bedfordshire
Berkshire
Birmingham & West Midlands
Buckinghamshire
Cambridgeshire
Cheshire (Mid)
Cheshire (North-East and South)
Cleveland
Cornwall
Cumbria
Derbyshire (North, South)
Devon
Dorset
Durham
Essex (North-East)
Essex (North-West)
Essex (South)
Gloucestershire
Hampshire
Herefordshire
Hertfordshire
Huntingdon & Peterborough
Isle of Wight
Isles of Scilly
Kent
Lancashire (East)
Lancashire (North-West)
Lancashire (South)
Leicestershire & Rutland
Lincolnshire (East)
Lincolnshire (North)
Lincolnshire (South)
Lincolnshire (West)
London (North)
London (South)
Manchester
Merseyside
Norfolk (North-East)
Norfolk (North-West)
Norfolk (South-East)
Norfolk (South-West)
Northamptonshire
Northumberland
Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire (North)
Oxfordshire (South)
Shropshire
Somerset
Staffordshire (North, South, West)
Suffolk
Surrey
Sussex
The Wirral
Warwickshire
Wiltshire (North, South)
Worcestershire
Yorkshire (Bradford)
Yorkshire (Central)
Yorkshire (East, Hull)
Yorkshire (Leeds & Wakefield)
Yorkshire (North-East)
Yorkshire (North-West)
Yorkshire (Richmond)
Yorkshire (South-East)
Yorkshire (South-West)
Yorkshire (York)
British Trust for Ornithology
The Nunnery
Thetford
Norfolk
IP24 2PU
01842 750050
bbs@bto.org
www.bto.org/bbs
SCOTLAND
Aberdeen
Angus
Argyll (Mull, Coll, Tiree & Morven)
Argyll (mainland & Gigha) & Bute
Ayrshire
Benbecula & The Uists
Borders
Caithness
Central
Dumfries
Fife & Kinross
Inverness (East & Speyside, West)
Islay, Jura & Colonsay
Kincardine & Deeside
Kirkcudbright
Lanark, Renfrew & Dunbarton
Dave Stoddard
Judith Knight
Sarah & Ken White
Steve Davies
Roger Warren
Mark Welch
Paul Miller
Mark Eddowes
Vic Fairbrother
Stephen Jackson
Clive Hartley
Dave Budworth
Stella Beavan
Simon Breeze (now VACANT)
David Sowerbutts
Vacant (now Ed Hutchings)
Graham Smith
VACANT
Mike Smart (now Gordon Kirk)
Glynne Evans
Chris Robinson
Chris Dee
Mick Twinn
James Gloyn
Will Wagstaff
Geoff Orton
Tony Cooper
Jean Roberts
Stuart Piner
Dave Wright
Phil Espin
Chris Gunn
Hugh Dorrington
Peter Overton
Ian Woodward
Richard Arnold
Judith Smith
Bob Harris
Chris Hudson
Bob Osborne
Rachel Warren
Vince Matthews
Barrie Galpin
Muriel Cadwallender
Lynda Milner
Frances Buckel
John Melling
Allan Dawes
Penny Allwright
Gerald Gittens
Mick Wright
Penny Williams
Helen Crabtree
Paul Miller
Mark Smith
Bill Quantrill
Harry Green
Mike Denton
Mike Brown
Geoff Dobbs
Colin Bonnington
Mick Carroll
Gerald Light
John Edwards
Vacant (now Aidan Gill)
VACANT
Rob Chapman
Paul Doyle
Bruce Lynch
Rod Little
VACANT
Brian Broadley
Yvonne Benting
Graham Pyatt
Donald Omand
Neil Bielby
Edmund Fellowes
Norman Elkins
Hugh Insley
John Armitage
Graham Cooper
Andrew Bielinski
Vacant (now Andy
Winnington)
Lewis & Harris
Lothian
Moray & Nairn
Orkney
Perthshire
Rhum, Eigg, Canna & Muck
Ross-shire
Shetland
Skye
Sutherland
Wigtown
WALES
BTO Wales Officer
Anglesey
Brecknock
Caernarfon
Cardigan
Carmarthen
Clwyd (East)
Clwyd (West)
Glamorgan (Mid, South)
Glamorgan (West)
Gwent
Merioneth
Montgomery
Pembrokeshire
Radnorshire
NORTHERN IRELAND
BTO Ireland Officer
Antrim & Belfast
Armagh
Down
Fermanagh
Londonderry
Tyrone
CHANNEL ISLANDS
Channel Islands (excl. Jersey)
Jersey
ISLE OF MAN
Isle of Man
Chris Reynolds
Alan Heavisides
Bob Proctor
Colin Corse
Richard Paul
Bob Swann
Simon Cohen
Dave Okill
Helen Crabtree (now Stephen
Bentall)
Bob Swann
Geoff Sheppard
John Lloyd
Tony White (now Geoff Gibbs)
John Lloyd
Geoff Gibbs
Moira Convery
Terry Wells
Anne Brenchley
Mel ab Owain
Wayne Morris
Rhian Evans
Jerry Lewis
Geoff Gibbs (now Rob Morton)
Jane Kelsall
Annie Haycock
Carlton Parry
Shane Wolsey
Ruth Wilson
Stephen Hewitt
Alastair McIlwain
Michael Stinson
Vacant (now Lowell Mills)
Michael Stinson
Phil Alexander
Tony Paintin
Pat Cullen
We would be grateful for help organising the BBS in regions
currently without a Regional Organiser (marked VACANT).
If you live in one of these regions and would be interested
in taking on the role, please let us know.
Many thanks are due to the following ROs who retired
during the past year, having supported the BBS in their
regions: Simon Breeze, Charles Hull, Mike Smart and Tony
White.
We would like to thank and welcome Stephen Bentall, Aidan
Gill, Ed Hutchings, Gordon Kirk, Lowell Mills, Rob Morton,
Dave Stoddard and Andy Winnington, who have taken over
as ROs during the past year.
Finally, we would like to thank all the landowners who kindly
allow volunteers to carry out BBS surveys on their land.
BTO Research Report 645
ISSN 1368-9932
ISBN 978-1-908581-29-7
ISBN 978-1-908581-29-7
9 781908 581297